Dr Lily Neo speaks out vociferously over aid for poorest households

Dr Lily Neo, an MP for Jalan Besar GRC, is well known for her strong personality and the close attention she pays to the plight of the poor in Singapore.

On Monday in Parliament, her fiesty demeanour showed through during question time when she squared off with Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon, Minister of State for Community Development, Youth and Sports, on the issue of aid for the poorest households.

Dr Lily Neo had asked the Minister, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, whether his ministry is monitoring how lower-income households are affected by inflation and stagnant wages, whether the available assistance is lessening their difficulties, and whether there will be other measures to ensure no one falls through the cracks.

In my opinion, these all very valid and pertinent questions — questions that had also been taken up by Opposition MPs in the past.

In her reply on behalf of Dr Balakrishnan, Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon listed the different assistance schemes available and cited examples of families who had benefitted from those schemes.

But Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon’s reply was hardly sufficient for Dr Lily Neo, who stopped the Speaker of Parliament Abdullah Tarmugi from proceeding to the next question tabled by Dr Lam Pin Min by waving her papers frantically .

Dr Lily Neo reiterated that more had to be done for the poor. On the list of help schemes for the poorest 20 per cent of Singaporeans, Dr Lily Neo also strongly objected to being asked a question by Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon: “How far you want to cover? You want to cover up to 30 per cent, 40 per cent or 50 per cent (of the population)?”

Dr Lily Neo said, “I’d like to object to the fact that I was asked what I wanted the assistance for; wasn’t 20 per cent enough, 30 per cent enough? … … I definitely never asked for 30 per cent or 40 per cent of assistance to Singaporeans, and I object to being asked that kind of question.”

Mrs Yu-Foo then clarified that her question was not directed at Dr Neo in particular, but at Singaporeans in general. “I didn’t say Dr Lily Neo asks for 30 per cent … My question was generally to Singaporeans, whether we want to cover beyond 20 per cent,” she said.

Later after Parliament, Dr Lily Neo explained to the New Paper that she was trying to speak up on behalf of low-income families who are not eligible for public assistance because one or both parents are working. She said that these are needy ones who had fallen through the cracks.

Dr Lily Neo voiced out her concern that existing assistance schemes are all temporary and ad-hoc. She said, “We need something permanent for these people that can lift them out of the poverty cycle, like getting the kids to pre-school or getting their parents better jobs.”

I fully agree with her. I would also like to add that a lot of the monetary assistance dispensed out through schemes like WorkFare go into the CPF account and are thus not available for day-to-day usage. My question is: How is this going to help the needy who have immediate needs in everyday life?

It is my opinion that one time Budget handouts are insufficient at helping the lower-income families cope with inflation and stagnant wages due to the large import of low-skilled foreigners who compete with them for jobs on virtually equal terms. A far more comprehensive method of helping the poor and needy must be employed, including helping them secure better jobs, and instituting a minimum wage to protect their right to a decent standard of living.

It is sad that amongst all the voices in Parliament, Dr Lily Neo’s is only one of the very few who speak out vociferously on behalf of the poor and lower-income families who have been marginalized by the “growth at all costs” policies of the PAP Government.

Some MP’s later asked Dr Lily Neo why she resorted to waving her papers frantically to catch the Speaker of Parliament’s attention. She replied, “I just felt I needed to shout for these people. I think I did, and I wanted to.”

Dr Lily Neo certainly combines both beauty and brains, as well as a passion to help the poor.

According to my archives, Dr Lily Neo has previously asked questions in Parliament earlier this year relating to economic hardship and inflation, and has called upon the government to improve the delivery of needed help to the poor even if the government has to employ more manpower for the task. She has also spoken out quite vociferously on the issue of school bullies.

Comments

Wealth is the parent of luxury and indolence, and poverty of meanness and viciousness, and both of discontent.
~ Plato (427 BC – 347 BC), The Republic

It is not poverty so much as pretence, that harasses a ruined man–the struggle between a proud mind and an empty purse.
~ WASHINGTON IRVING, “The Wife,” The Sketch Book

Rebel on
Wed, 27th Aug 2008 12:53 pm

Cheers to Dr. Lily Neo for her courage and the strength to speak up for the people, especially those less fortunate ones. Too bad she is sitting on the wrong side of the party. She should maybe think of moving over to WP sector and maybe we can seeaome great challenge over the next election.

SS Sim on
Wed, 27th Aug 2008 2:02 pm

Kudos to Dr Lily Neo

Her affluent background suggests that she is not being an MP for the allowance.

If she is indeed sincere about helping the poor, she is at least starting the process at the right forum.

Her points are valid and should not be ignored.

Bob on
Wed, 27th Aug 2008 2:21 pm

This is s vivid case to illustrate that the rich cannot see , empathise and feel the pains of the underdogs.

Y2K on
Wed, 27th Aug 2008 2:22 pm

Good Afternoon,

I think she is one of the few MP’s who really takes an interest in the welfare of the poor and destitude. This is not the first time she has challenged the rights of the underclass. I have alot of respect for this lady. But if she has to shout to get her point across, then I feel something is very wrong with the system.

Say, all the other MPs for Jalan Besar GRC just keep quiet. And the voters felt that they are not being looked after. They decided to vote against the PAP. Unfortunately that would also mean voting out a caring MP like Dr Lily Neo.

I would not be so bold to suggest that Dr Neo joins the oppositions. But maybe like what Matthias Yao did, carve out her own constituency and contest as a single seat candidate so that voters can vote out other MPs who do not possess her courage.

George on
Thu, 28th Aug 2008 9:47 am

” “How far you want to cover? You want to cover up to 30 per cent, 40 per cent or 50 per cent (of the population)?”

Yu-Foo Yee Shoon’s reply is identical in substance and style to that of Vivian Balakrishnan’s notorious reply to Dr LN in a previous parl sitting on help for the poor wherein he asked LN whether she is thinkiong of meals in a restraunt…etc.

Dan on
Thu, 28th Aug 2008 10:08 am

She is one of the very few MPs who takes their jobs seriously, IMO. My parents live in her constituency, she really bothers to help n show her face ard, even not during GE. The old folks like her a lot, though we do not hear much from her constituents, I think the media shd profile her much. Better than a lot of MPs we know.

Dr Lily Neo performs much much better than the “pangsai MP” , Irene Ng, Yu-Foo, etc. who are yes women .She may be left out,in the next GE, like Tan Soo Khoon if she dares to question against the Ministers. If Dr Chee is in parliament, Pap MPs have no fight at all.

looker on
Fri, 29th Aug 2008 8:22 pm

So far Dr Lily Neo is the only MP who really cares and go all the way to fight for the poor. Just imagine? -if all the rest are the same as her, this will be a Wonderful Island to live in.

patriot on
Sun, 31st Aug 2008 1:30 am

As medical Doctor, Lily Neo must have seen many sickly people in her constituency as well as others having serious financial problems. As a professional with conscience, she is obviously saddened by what she witnessed first hand, the difficulties and sufferings face by the people.

She should stay in PAP and show her fellow parliamentarians the right way to care for the people is to empathize with their hardships. Dr Neo is exemplary, but, are her colleagues inspired?

patriot

Anonymous on
Mon, 1st Sep 2008 5:45 pm

What happened to our opposition MPs? Seem that they have disappeared, or PAP ay tai chee opposition boh chap?

Pinpo on
Mon, 1st Sep 2008 5:50 pm

Hey! what happened to our opposition MPs? Seem that they have disappeared. Or PAP ay tai chee, opposition boh chap?

ah teo on
Wed, 19th Nov 2008 3:51 pm

so far, the BEST FEMALE MP is mdm lily and that malay mdm. lim peh respects leh!

[…] More often than not, it is PAP MPs themselves who argue even more vociferously than the Opposition members in Parliament, only to be predictably given the cold shoulder by the key decision makers in cabinet. (SEE: Dr Lily Neo speaks out vociferously over aid for poorest households.) […]

[…] More often than not, it is PAP MPs themselves who argue even more vociferously than the Opposition members in Parliament, only to be predictably given the cold shoulder by the key decision makers in cabinet. (SEE: Dr Lily Neo speaks out vociferously over aid for poorest households.) […]

Anonymous on
Tue, 26th Apr 2011 12:20 am

why dont she quit and join the alternate party if her party is not listening.

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